Customer+Service

Adult Education & Training is suffering in America. E-learning was pronounced as our savior some 10 years ago. Unfortunately, e-learning has not achieved the lofty goals people have set for it. What can we do to increase learning and interaction in corporate classrooms? With today's troubled economy many companies cannot afford expensive high tech solutions. We can provide increased interaction in our classrooms by utilizing low technology solutions such as designing our own games. I developed a simple game to use with newly hired Call Center employees that will hopefully increase interaction and learning
 * [[file:Cust Service Game.pps]]Overview **

The objective of this game is increase new employee motivation and learning by providing newly hired personnel with the opportunity to compete against others in a interactive game that tests them on core business functions. New employees will have the opportunity to demonstrate their ability recall critical information that will be used daily on the job.
 * Instructional Objective **

This game can be played by people of all ages, education levels, and walks of life. The questions need to be changed to fit the audience. I am a Corporate Trainer and I do training for Call Center employees and other individuals that support the call center. My Call Center personnel must be able to answer the telephone, deal effectively with customers and provide the appropriate solution.
 * Learners **

This game is designed to be played in a classroom environment with two or more participants and overseen by the trainer. This game can also be played individually on a stand alone computer or over a network or Internet.
 * Context of Use **

For my particular purposes the game will have have 10 questions that will be displayed on a PowerPoint slide individually. The length of the game will be determined by how many players there are and how many questions the trainer wants to ask. This will be determined by time available usually.
 * Scope **

The object of the game is for all participants to begin the game by answering questions as they appear on the screen.. Players earn points for each question answered correctly. The participant that has the most points at the end of the game wins.
 * Object of the Game **

I received most of my inspiration for this game from the Thiagi GameLetter, 2008 but modified it to suit my needs. I have also encountered a form of this game as a youngster in Mathematics class
 * Competing Products **

The game will begin when formal ‘teaching’ of the subject matter has ended but before the summary. This game also offers the flexibility to play during the course if the facilitator senses diminished attention spans among the participants. The game can also be played online or with a computer in stand alone mode prior to class to give people an idea of the subject matter that will be taught. The game can also be deployed several weeks after training to measure participant retention. The game is a series of questions about customer service displayed on Powerpoint slides. I used Visual Basic to make the training interactive. The participants must enter information and answer questions using their keyboard. The game also provides feedback to the players as the game progresses. At the end of the game the players will see their score and be presented the option to print their answers if they choose.
 * Design Details **

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This game should be an excellent motivator as it is designed for new employees. Employees will get to learn material with less pressure and competing against their peers. This will also provide new employees with the opportunity to impress their supervisors with their performance in training.
 * Motivational Issues **

The most challenging portion for me was trying to think of a game that has not been used previously. I am somewhat technologically challenged and I did not feel I had the expertise to produce a complex computer/software based solution so I chose to take a simpler route. I am new as a Corporate Trainer here and the training my employees have had prior to my arrival has been inconsistent at best. I decided this project would also be used in my own training room so I made it something simple but yet something that will get their attention and hopefully increase their involvement.
 * Design Process **

   http://www.thiagi.com/pfp/IE4H/april2008.html#ImprovGames
 * References **